


Chess Trophies

by angiebaby



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character Study, F/F, Plothole Fill, Pre-Relationship, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:07:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22081537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angiebaby/pseuds/angiebaby
Summary: This is set in season 3 before Mon comes back. It was triggered by both Kara’s line in 3x12 about seeing all Lena’s chess trophies and after finding out she's lived in a hotel for a long ass time.No plot in sight, and sadly no porn either.This is my first completed fic ever, and I am old. Kudos to Supercorp for keeping my attention long enough to finish this lol. There might be some very slight grammatical errors, I’ve been staring at this too long, just had to press submit already :)Happy New Years!
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 10
Kudos: 123





	Chess Trophies

Sometimes Kara wishes her journalism job was strictly an at home gig. She groans, hitting refresh for the zillionth time, only to be met with the trouble shooting screen. 

At home she has pretty good wifi. Plus it takes quite a lot concentration to not use her super speed to complete even the most menial of tasks. She sighs, leaning back in her chair. Yes, things would be so much easier at home...

“How’s my ace reporter?” A silky voice startles Kara enough that the slight lean she is preforming with her chair becomes a full horizontal flop. 

Kara rights herself before Lena can assist, grateful the fall damaged nothing except her pride. Not that she could have been hurt, but the chair and the floor might not have been so lucky. 

Lena is peering at her above the desk partition, unable to halt the broad grin her lips have formed. Her dark hair is pulled back into a neat professional bun which is currently being undercut by the twinkle in her green eyes. She looks every inch the billionaire CEO of not one, but two major corporations, white silk shirt tucked neatly into a midnight blue skirt. Her heels are so long and narrow that Kara, a super powered alien from another planet, is uncertain she would be able to balance properly on them.

This is a complete contrast to Kara, with her hair in a messy blond ponytail. The green and white checkered shirt which she grabbed from this morning was hanging from the chair by her bed, not dirty enough to go into the laundry basket and defiantly not clean enough to be allowed back into her closet. She managed to get most of the mustard off her pants that dripped off a delicious hotdog she’d had for breakfast, but if you looked hard enough...

Red faced at her clumsiness and disturbed that someone is able to just sneak up on her like that, Kara exhales. “I guess I don’t exactly put the ace in grace though.” She pushes her glasses back towards the bridge of her nose.

“Maybe, but from what I hear from Snapper’s office, you might just put the sexy in dyslexia.”

“Lena!” Not that the other woman would know anything about it, but Kara can speak 13 different languages, and oddly English is one of the most frustrating ones to not quite master. Apparently the i rarely goes before e, despite whatever common misconceptions grade school teachers are fond of spreading. 

“Kara!” Lena, face all faux outrage. But it’s quickly broken by her stop light red lips turning up into a beautiful smile.

Lena’s smile always makes Kara smile, which makes Lena smile...

And this, this right here, is one of the main reasons Kara doesn’t work from home. 

The truth is this job can be done at home and Kara has spent the last few months actively avoiding the office and other people. Hell, she’d outright quit this job until her lovely friend convinced her to return. The bleak fog that has consumed her since the Daxamite invasion and Mon-El getting blasted off to god knows where is slowly dissipating. Lena has helped immensely. 

Kara realizes now they are both just beaming at each other like a couple of idiots so she sits up a little. “Don’t you have two major corporations to run, Ms. Luthor?”, fiddling with a button on her shirt.

Hesitancy is not something Lena is known for and yet here she is, being very hesitant.“Well yes, but I was wondering...” Lena winces with discomfort. 

“What’s up?” As creepy as it might seem, Kara is usually able to place human emotion fairly accurately just by hearing someone’s heart rate. Lena’s has just increased a little. Not danger or fright fast....nervous. 

Lena is wringing her hands as she steps around the corner of the partition and sits on the edge of Kara’s desk. “It’s, well, I have to do this thing...and I was wondering if you would...” 

Kara swivels her traitorous chair to face the other woman. Her eyes are drawn immediately to the expanse of bare legs, crossed at the ankles and dangling far too close. They were really nice for a human, so smooth and strong. Lena really knows how to pull off a nice pencil skirt....focus. Her eyes raise to meet Lena’s, is that a smirk? “Whatever it is, I’ll do it!” She hopes her enthusiasm isn’t too off putting. 

Lena’s brow raises in pleasant surprise. "Really? You don't even know what I'm going to ask."

"I know, but I haven't been the best of friends lately. I want to make it up to you." Kara’s eyes subconsciously flicker back down to those legs. Is it gay to want to touch your best friends legs? Lena probably uses whale placenta or something equally extravagant to keep them looking so soft...

"That's not something I will ever hold against you, Kara, you don't have to agree to something just because you feel guilty..." Lena, thankfully, is too stressed out by this interaction, more focused on her own hands than Kara’s wandering leer. 

"No, no, no, no, no. I miss you. Whatever you need, because we're friends and I want to." Kara sits up even straighter, willing her sight to stay locked on her brilliant friend’s face. 

"You can still say no, Kara, as much as I appreciate it. If you are busy, I mean." She slides off the desk in one smooth motion, too tense to stay still. 

"Lena?!" The other woman’s is agitation is infectious.

Lena replies, her voice muted, "When I moved here I wasn't sure how long I would be staying. Maybe I'd be run out of town, who knew? I left a lot of things behind. I was going to go to my penthouse in Metropolis this weekend and sort out some things to get delivered to my suite. I was wondering if you'd like to join me? A quick get out of town for the weekend?" There’s a lot of pacing and hand wrenching going on in front of Kara's fairly small work space. 

Kara knows she is free this weekend. She doesn’t know if Supergirl will be preoccupied. 

Lena takes her pause to mean no. Before Kara can even open her mouth she begins a similarly stumbling retraction."I know it's last minute so it's ok..."

While the self conscious rambling of the normally confident CEO is rather endearing, Kara quickly stands up, placing two firm hands on each of Lena’s shoulders, and looks her straight in the eye. "I'm coming" she counters with a grin. 

Lena visibly unclenches, halts mid pace, clapping her hands together enthusiastically. "Wonderful! I'll come get you around seven on Saturday." Her shining eyes make Kara feel warm deep down in her belly. 

"I'm looking forward to it! I haven't been to Metropolis in a while and it will be interesting to see where you lived before here." Kara returns her hands to her pockets.

"Oh it won't be that interesting, I'm sure. But we will dine at the most exclusive restaurant. Don't worry about dressing up, I've got a million things you could wear." Kara can almost see the billionaire’s brain flicking through her clothing inventory as she eyes her up and down. 

Kara gets the feeling that Lena isn’t used to invitations without some sort of caveat. "Lena, you know we could eat at Big Belly Burger and I'd be just as happy.”

"Of course, but this place makes the best food, and I know for a fact that food and Kara Danvers are in a somewhat unhealthy but longterm relationship.” This time Lena’s smile meets the crinkles in the corners of her eyes. 

Kara laughs, “It’s more of an ‘it’s complicated‘ situation but food is definitely a contender in my OTP competition.”

“Not that anyone would remotely suspect,“ Lena pokes at Kara’s abdomen in a playful manner. When said finger meets the wall of muscle instead of a normal squishy belly, the finger is replaced by the whole hand. “Kara! You have to tell me where you are working out.” And then Lena is just standing there feeling up Kara’s abs in the middle of the Catco office like it’s no biggie.

While it does feel kind of nice, Kara senses her coworkers attention zeroing in on them. She delicately removes the lingering appendage, giving it a friendly squeeze before returning it to its reluctant owner. “I should have realized upper management got to skip the workplace etiquette video that HR made us all watch last month.” She chuckles nervously. 

Lena slowly reclaims her hand, “My sincerest apologies Ms Danvers, I will try to behave more appropriately from now on....I just didn’t realize you were a UFC fighter on the side.” 

Kara feels bad about her perfect physique sometimes. The rays of this yellow sun bind with her body to make her it tight, as strong as steel. Humans, meanwhile, required special diets and painful exercise to get a millionth of a fraction as strong as she is. A fit body is attractive, not just visually, but also seen as an example of sweat and determination. Sometimes hers feels like a lie. “You can see them if you want. Before you dress me for this fantastic dinner. I’ll show you all of them.” She says this with an innocent enthusiasm that she quickly understands, as soon as the words fall off her tongue, do not quite match the offer. 

She hears Lena swallow sharply and her heart rate increases even more than before. “Hmmm,” her gaze fixed in curiosity on the spot her hand had just vacated. She clears her throat, peaks a dark, elegant eyebrow, “That offer usually comes after dinner, Kara.” It takes not even a full second before her eyes abruptly shoot up to meet the other woman’s, ballooning in shock at the realization of what she has just said. “I’m so sorry, I was voted worst flirt in my final year. I have trouble turning it off sometimes...” 

“I mean I did essentially just offer you a private strip show. You’re right, I should get a meal out of it first.” Kara prays to Rao her light tone smothers any of the other woman’s embarrassment. “I wasn’t thinking. Alex and I used to show off each other’s muscles when we were younger. Whenever she’d visit me at University she’d have a whole new row of abs from her training and I, well I played sports so we’d compare.” 

Lena gives her an unconvincing nod before glancing at her watch.“I’ll see you on Saturday morning. Pack light.” She gives Kara’s shoulder a quick squeeze. “Thank you again Kara, you’re a true friend.” 

Kara isn’t wholly interested or astute when it comes to fashion but golly if those heels don’t perfectly accentuate Lena’s calves, she thinks to herself in a decidedly non homoerotic way, sitting back down at her desk. 

*********

Part of Kara’s discomfort with flying comes from the fact that she can fly. Why make her carbon footprint any bigger than it had to be? 

The majority of it, however, originates from the severely traumatic experience of having been trapped in a tiny escape pod for about twenty four years. As a result, her heart, which can endure the deadliest forms of radiation, races painfully when in a confined space. Her apartment is a studio, no tiny bedroom, all out in the open. She rarely drives, she doesn’t have to. She sometimes flies to the very middle of the Pacific Ocean and floats in mid air for hours, enjoying the vastness of the air and the water.

Suffice to say, while she is certainly enjoying the company, Kara is ever conscious of the claustrophobic interior of Lena’s private jet. 

Thankfully she’s unable to sweat. She looks out the window and focuses on the clouds, imagining she’s out there amongst them. She wonders if Lena would like to fly with her someday. Of course she would, who wouldn’t? Although they wouldn’t be able to go this high, it’s too cold and she wouldn’t be able to breathe. She maybe could take a mask....

“I didn’t take you for a nervous flyer, Kara.” The journal Lena had been perusing is abandoned in her lap, worry clouding her green eyes. Lena is wearing jeans today and a emerald sweater that looks so soft. She probably invented the fabric herself. It is as casual as Lena ever gets. 

She smiles reassuringly. “I’ll be fine, really.”

Lena hitches an eyebrow, her face unchanged, crosses her arms, waiting for the truth.

Kara sighs. “I’m a little claustrophobic.” She raises her hand to stop Lena’s worried exclamation. “It’s ok, really, just a hazard of long journeys.” 

“Kara I’m sorry...” Lena’s face falls and it’s really touching, how concerned she is for Kara. 

“Lena really, it’s ok, something I’ve dealt with since...” Kara trails off, not quite knowing how to explain it with the least amount of dishonesty. 

Lena nods and places a soothing hand on Kara’s knee. “It’s ok, you don’t have to explain.” 

Kara glances down at the soft press on her knee and decides she would try to explain. Lena is her closest friend. Of course she should. She clears her throat. “My parents, they hid me. It was really small and I couldn’t get out. It was a long time before anyone found me. I don’t really remember much about it. But everything and everyone I knew was gone.” Her voice wavers slightly but it’s vague enough without outright lying. 

Lena appears absolutely heartbroken. “That’s horrible! I had no idea....” she turns her sight towards the cockpit. “If you are having trouble we can land at the nearest...”

Kara rests her hand atop of Lena’s where it is placed on her knee. “I don’t think we’ll make it to Metropolis in an open carriage by tonight.”, giving the other woman a warm smile. 

Lena shakes her head and cocks an eyebrow, “How about a hot air balloon?” She turns her hand over and clasps Kara’s gently. 

Kara examines their joined hands, and while her heartbeat doesn’t slow down any her anxiety is replaced by a tenderness that fills her whole body. She lets out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Meeting Lena’s worried gaze, she runs her thumb across her friend’s palm. “This is fine. I feel better now talking about it.”

“Is there anything I can get you to make you more comfortable? A drink, perhaps?” Lena’s doting is something Kara really loves. Besides Alex, no one would even bother. The girl of steel is impenetrable, right?

“You’d make a great flight attendant if this whole brilliant CEO slash scientist thing doesn’t work out.” Kara jokes, but now there’s an image of Lena in a stewardess uniform and maybe she would make a great...

Lena reclaims her hand, slapping Kara’s knee. “You are funny. But really, is there anything I can do to distract you?”

“What are you reading?” Kara has analyzed the cover down to the month it came out, trying to distract herself. It’s the MIT Technology review but she doesn’t want to seem too creepy.

“This? It’s the MIT Technology Review. It covers the most interesting and innovative up and coming technology. It helps me decide if L-Corp should be investing in anything new.” Even when Lena isn’t working, she’s working.

“Can you read a bit to me?” It would be a comforting distraction, Lena has the smoothest voice. 

“Won’t you find that a little boring?” Lena is being nice. What she really means is over Kara’s head. 

“My father was a scientist. I used to love hanging out in the lab with him. If he hadn’t....I might have followed in his footsteps. Unless you find that annoying...” Kara achieved the approximate of three earth doctorates in chemistry, physics and biology by the time of her exodus from Krypton. She declined to pursue any science related fields in university for several reasons. Krypton was centuries ahead of anything humans had discovered, any attempt in literally any field would have drawn unwanted attention. 

“Not at all! Just stop me if you don’t understand something. I can probably explain things much more clearly.” Lena opens the magazine and thumbs through it a little bit, stopping at an article she deems worthy enough for Kara. “‘The Cell Atlas: 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2017’. This is a top ten edition of this magazine, which is good, a lot of condensed information, not too technical.”

Kara nods and focuses on the clouds again as Lena continues. It’s not long after that she falls into a gentle sleep.

********

Lena often gets embarrassed of her enormous wealth, Kara can tell. They are in the elevator on the way up to her penthouse, which is the very top two floors and includes the entire rooftop as well. It’s in a giant skyscraper adjacent to Centennial Park. Kara can only imagine what the view will look like. 

“My parents bought this for me after I finished boarding school. My father was a majority investor in this building.” She glances down at her nails, “They said it was because of the high level of security here, but part of being a Luthor means having the best and flaunting it.”

The elevator dings and Lena has to use an eye and fingerprint scanner before the metal doors open into a porch with coat and shoe racks. They remove their coats and shoes before continuing on through a French door. Lena pulls a set of keys out of her purse.

“Before I let you in, I promise all I ever really wanted was an old four story Victorian with a backyard.” She smiles apologetically, turns the knob and opens the door completely. 

The entire back wall is window. It’s completely open space, shiny ash gray hardwood floors, a sectional against the windows. The kitchen and dining area are to the left. To her right there is a spiral staircase that leads up to the next floor. 

Kara realizes just how much of a plebeian she must seem, standing there with her mouth open like that. 

“I guess that means I have to give you a full tour?” Lena’s softly teasing voice asks from behind her.

“This place is beautiful.” 

“I know, I really tried to make it my own....but then Lex...” she trails off with a sigh. 

“A tour would be nice.” Kara interrupts, derailing that train of thought for the time being. 

Lena shakes those memories off and puts on a not entirely sincere smile. “This is the living room...”

Already Kara is dashing off towards the window. Lena follows, utterly charmed at her friend’s enthusiasm. Just as the people of Rome walk by ancient monuments on their way to work without a second glance, it’s easy to get used to anything, even this breathtaking view. 

And breathtaking it is. This side faces Centennial Park, the largest green space in Metropolis. From this vantage point the sun rises, lighting the room throughout the day. The twenty eight million gallon city reservoir glistens amongst the green grass and trees, as does giant statue of Superman, way off in the distance. 

“I love National City, don’t get me wrong, but Metropolis is like the city of the future, something from science fiction.” Kara pivots on her heels, regarding Lena thoughtfully, “Don’t you miss this?” Kara gestures broadly to her surroundings. 

Lena sighs. “I do, I really do. I made as much of a home out of this place as I could.” She points to a sky scraper in the distance. It is the tallest on the horizon. “See that massive building over there?” Kara nods. “Guess what that is?”

“L-Corp?” 

“Mmmmhmmmm. It’s one of the largest buildings on earth, naturally, it was actually the tallest for a while, then Saudi Arabia decided to flex.” Lena smiles to herself, as if mentally reliving the moment when Lex called her fuming, “At one point almost two thirds of the population in Metropolis worked for LuthorCorp in some form or another. Before he did bad he did a lot of good. It took a long time for public opinion to turn against him and even now you will find many that still agree with him, although maybe not how he went about it.” She laughs at Kara’s shocked expression. “Superman can save lives but can he guarantee health insurance and a hearty retirement fund?”

Kara chews on the inside of her mouth, “So what you are saying is...?” 

“Too much Lex. Too much history. This is where I watched my big brother go insane. And almost kill us all. I can’t bear to look at that building anymore and it takes up so much of my view. There’s only enough room in Metropolis for one Luthor.” Lena turns away from the window and towards the kitchen. 

Kara knows exactly how she feels. Superman's statue is a tiny diamond of light in the distance but it’s the first thing her eyes focused on. She loves her cousin but here she would always be number two, be it in reporting or fighting crime. 

“I kind of understand.” Kara is never sure of how much to reveal about herself to Lena. When Kara finally tells her who she really is, is it fair to connect herself to Clark? It would be pretty obvious that he was Kara’s cousin. On the other hand, Clark told James her secret without a second thought or a heads up.Lena is rooting through her fridge, stopping to hear Kara finish.  
“You know when we first met, Clark Kent and I came to interview you.”

The memory clearly tickles Lena’s brain, she grins widely, “Of course, you were so cute with your pen and notepad....god I’m sorry if that sounded patronizing,” she leans on her white marble kitchen island resting her chin in her hands, “I always wondered what you were doing with him....I assumed it was some sort of brief apprenticeship....”

Kara’s mind stops dead at ‘cute’ for a second before interrupting “He’s my cousin.” Lena sits up straighter at that, a million questions written on her face. Kara decides not to give her the practiced lie that was on all of her official documents, but keeps it as vague as possible. “Clark’s father and mine were brothers. His family left for America years before I was born. He was just a baby when his parents died. My parents thought it best he stay in the US, so a lovely couple adopted him. They were friends with Eliza and Jeremiah, which is how I wound up with them.” Most of that is true. 

“That’s very interesting. I didn’t know Clark had any relatives. Him and Lex were very close. I met him quite a few times when I was younger. I can see where all the good genes went.” Lena pushes herself off the island with a wink, motioning towards the fridge. “I know what your appetite is like...you can grab something if you want, I had the housekeeper stock the fridge completely.”

Kara lowers her head, cheeks red from the compliment, and follows Lena’s gesture. She peeks inside. Pastries, fruits, cheeses, fancy meats and breads. “You didn’t have to do all this for me.” She exclaims, closing the door. 

Lena observes her intensely. “Clark is an award winning journalist yet you never mention it. And you started your career as an assistant....”

Kara nods, “I mean I could have come here, I’m sure, and gotten something at the Daily Planet...” 

“But you wanted to make a name for yourself, outside of his shadow.” Lena finishes.

“Like I said, I can relate. Now on with the tour!” Kara grabs Lena by the arm, leading her past the kitchen towards a small hallway. 

“Aren’t I supposed to be leading?” Lena laughs, the heaviness of a moment ago disappearing.

“Well then lead, boss lady.” Kara releases the other woman’s arm and lags a bit so that she is now trailing behind. 

“Down here is the spare room and bath. You can stay here tonight.” She opens the door to show Kara the room. Kara peers inside. Again the entire far wall is open to the world, an enclosed patio just outside. The bed is king sized and probably the most expensive bed she will ever sleep in. She tended to go through beds at an insane rate. All it takes is a slight miscalculation on her descent towards the mattress, which usually happens when she’s exhausted. Cheap beds had to do. It’s not like she could tell much difference between soft and hard anyways. Anything she really tried to feel wound up crushed.

There’s a little tv hanging in the corner across from the bed, a beautiful dresser underneath and a desk against the wall opposite the patio door. Lena takes a small remote from the desk, aiming it at the patio and presses one of the buttons. The glass gets darker and darker until it’s completely tinted. 

“Just use this if you want to adjust the light in.” She shows Kara which button to touch. 

“This is so much nicer than my apartment.” Kara walks towards the balcony and gazes out at the view.

“No way! I love your place. It’s so you.” Using the Remote, Lena slowly adjusts the window back to normal.

“Poorly decorated and rent controlled?” 

“More like cosy and unpretentious. Now come on.....should I just stop the tour here? I didn’t invite you over to make you self conscious. if my mother had lived I might never have seen a fraction of this wealth.” 

“No no no, just some self deprecating humour. If anything it’s crazy how down to earth you are, considering all of this.” Kara gestures broadly. “Thank you for inviting me here. I’m guessing if anyone here is self conscious, it’s you.” 

The other woman leans against the doorway, arms crossed, observing Kara intensely. She sighs and stands up straighter, fidgeting with her hands before replying. “A little, I’ll admit. But there’s something about you, Kara, ever since we met....the way you look at me.... without any pre-existing bias? It’s hard to describe, exactly. Since the first time we met, I’ve never felt like I’ve had to prove anything to you. That’s not something I feel very often.” 

Kara nods understandingly, “It’s funny, my whole life I’ve felt the opposite. Everyone telling me it was ok if I wasn’t as famous or successful as Clark. Like he was such a faraway star, there were no expectations, no reaching him all those light years away. And I was such a mess when I arrived in Midvale. Everyone was happy when I was just living my little life as Cat’s assistant. Not making any waves.” Kara turns towards the door, and Lena, “Which is why, there was something about you....the way you looked at me too. Like you saw so much more. I was standing next to the famous Clark Kent and you were telling me, little old me, how good of a reporter I was. I knew we were going to be great friends.” She approaches Lena with a warm grin.

Lena raises an eyebrow, “Is that all it took, a little ego stroking?” She teases. 

Kara thinks it best to leave any stroking related comebacks alone as she breezes by her wealthy friend, “No more stalling, Luthor. Show me the rest of this dive.”

The rest of the dive does not disappoint. The bathroom across from where Kara would sleep has the coolest shower room she’s ever seen. There were jets that came from the wall and a marble slab on the far right where you could lie down and jets from the ceiling would spray at an adjustable pressure level. 

They backtrack and climb the spiral staircase in the far corner of the living room. It leads up into Lena’s personal quarters. Behind her is an elevator, ahead of her a long hallway with a mysterious door at the end. Her bedroom is through a doorway on her left, a larger version of the spare room, although this one was clearly lived in, at least at some point in time. The walls are all book shelves, filled to capacity. She follows Lena fully into the room. It’s massive, clearly taking up most of the top floor. There’s an entrance to her private bath on one end of the room and a large walk in closet on the other. Lena makes a beeline for the latter. 

“This is where we need to be.” The lights come on as she crosses the threshold.

Kara manages to swallow the lame gasp she almost emits. This ‘closet’ is the same size as the bedroom it’s attached to. everything is organized impeccably, in three long rows, one on each wall and a centre aisle. Full length mirrors separate each section and Kara can see shelves in the very back full of accessories. 

Lena claps her hands together enthusiastically. “This is my closet. I’m going to be picking out some things to get shipped to National City.” She hmmms and looks around until her eyes focus on a drawer to her right. She opens it, pulling out two rolls of what look like stickers. Green circles and blue circles. She hands the blue one to Kara. “Put a sticker on anything you want, Kara.” She places a finger to Kara’s mouth, anticipating the other woman’s protestations, “No, Kara, I don’t want to hear it. I know you aren’t a charity case. I know you don’t necessarily need any of this. But look at all of this. I’m taking some of it and donating the rest and I have fucking amazing taste. I think you will look fantastic in some of these clothes. Plus I think Catco’s hottest up and coming reporter deserves to look the part. Not that you don’t. Also Kara, I might want to drag you to some obligatory galas that require my presence. There are some beautiful gowns here....” Lena’s confident spiel is beginning to wind down into a petulant pout which abruptly ends as Kara sticks a blue circle on the very centre of Lena’s left cheek.

Kara’s first reaction is to politely decline but Lena does have an amazing wardrobe... Why should the homeless of Metropolis be better dressed than the young reporter? She grins at Lena’s shocked expression. “Thank you, Lena. Just let me know if I pick something you have dibs on.”

Lena laughs as she peels the sticker off her face, “Surely you know by now this is unnecessary.” She crumples it up and tosses it in a waste bin “I am already yours.”

Kara’s endured beatings, stabbings, shootings. She’s been tossed off and into buildings and felt absolutely nothing. But this simple endearment, she feels it spread across her face into a hot pulsing blush. She lowers her head bashfully, fiddling with the stickers in her hand.

Lena is already tackling a row of shirts behind her. “Anything you want try on first, I want to see.”

“Sure.” Kara heads to the back of the closet, awkwardly thumbing through what appear to be a rack of fancy dresses. She exhales slowly. These are all high end designer gowns, five of them probably equal her entire years salary. She looks over to Lena only to discover the other woman appraising her with a small grin. “You know, I don’t really need to....”

Lena raises a hand to silence her. “Kara, you do so much for me. Really, you do. I’m not great at the whole having friends thing. I’m not trying to buy your affection, I promise. I think you will look stunning in some of these. I’d rather them be on you than across the country in a closet or in a thrift store.” 

“Lena! You can’t give a Chanel dress to a thrift store!” Kara hugs the dress she’s holding close to her body.

“Exactly.” And that was that as far as Lena was concerned. She resumes her perusing of the rack on the other side of the room. 

The far end of the closet has layers of shoe racks on each side of a large full body mirror. Kara goes over to the mirror and holds the dress she had claimed in front of her. It is a gorgeous Givenchy floral plissé midi dress that falls in an angle from her left knee to her right ankle. Strapless and black, with a finely printed floral pattern, this is probably the nicest piece of clothing she has ever handled. Actually no, she had picked up Ms. Grant’s dry cleaning many times, although to be fair, there was always a dry cleaning bag between her and whatever priceless garment Cat had needed cleaned. 

As she holds the dress up she feels oddly confused at what to do next. She’s far from modest when shopping with Alex, they always changed in front of each other, no big deal. Kara’s mind wanders back to her office, with Lena’s hand on her abdomen and that feeling....

“That would look fantastic on you, try it on...I’m shorter than you so it will fall a little higher, let’s make sure it fits ok....” Lena exclaims from behind her. 

Kara has spent so much of her life thinking her body is a dangerous weapon that it’s hard to think of it as much else. She knows objectively she is attractive but even that is not a blessing for someone just trying to blend in. One of the perks of having super speed is being so fast at changing clothes she never really has to look closely at her own body.

“I did promise you a strip show.” She sees Lena in the mirror, inspecting a shirt. Good. Nothing to be nervous about, she tells herself as she begins to unbutton her shirt.

But then she’s in her underwear searching desperately for a zipper that doesn’t want to be found. She’s about to cheat and use her X-ray vision when its delicately removed from her hands.

“One of the things you pay for with these, I guess.” Lena shows Kara the seam, where it has been sewn in seamlessly. She hands it back to Kara, unzipped. Kara lifts it over her head and wiggles it down over her shoulders. She hears a gasp. “Kara you look absolutely stunning.” 

She bashfully ducks her head, blushing as she feels gentle fingers running up her back with the zipper. A poke in her back forces her to look up at her reflection. As with furniture, Kara is hard on clothing. No point in spending a lot of money on something that will get ripped if pulled on too roughly. But this is lovely. “Gosh. I mean where would I even wear this?” She smooths the expensive fabric down her body. 

Lena rolls her eyes at her reflection. “Kara, I know you probably aren’t over what happened to Mon-el. I can’t even imagine how horrible you feel about that.” She moves Kara to face her. “But you are a young, beautiful, intelligent woman and someday, whenever that may be, someone wonderful is going to make you want to put this dress on.” She grins lasciviously and winks. “Then hopefully they’ll make you want to take it off, if you know what I mean.”

Kara chokes on nothing. “You are the one that got me into this dress so you are ahead of the game.” 

“And now I’m the one taking it off so I guess you are right, Ms. Danvers.” Her hand is moving gently down Kara’s back again.

This feels a little dangerous. Lena’s green eyes are questioning, as if daring her to stop. Kara doesn’t need to breath like a normal human, which is good because her breath is caught between her lungs and her mouth, afraid to escape. Lena pushes the shoulder strap and pulls it down Kara’s arm. Kara shimmies a little bit and the dress falls to her ankles. 

Lena is very openly eyeing up Kara’s body. In a way that’s making her feel weird. Not even Mon-el admired her so openly. Alex was always in awe, especially as Kara got older and her powers started to really kick in. That was more of a biological curiosity. They were both aware, by that point, of Clark’s abilities, so it was less of a surprise and more of a waiting game. By the time Kara turned 18 her every muscle in her body had grown taut, firm and beautifully defined. Alex joked that Kara would have to bench press the moon if she wanted to get any bigger.

Lena is staring at her like she’s a book she can’t wait to read, like she’s a painting she’s waited her whole life to view in person. And Kara’s thinking she really should have worn a bra that matched her underwear. 

Kara flexes her arm, in an attempt to cut through the stifling air that’s formed around them. “Well Ms. Luthor, seems like you’ve gotten a front row ticket to the gun show.”

Lena blinks, confused, and meets her eyes. “The gun show? Kara...” she notices Kara’s biceps popping and groans, but lifts her hand up to squeeze it anyways. “You have incredible muscle tone. It’s amazing how solid you feel, what do you even do? I thought you hated any physical activity.” 

“I do, I was in some sports in high school and university. I guess I just have good genes?” Kara’s body is reacting very oddly to Lena’s soft prodding. None of her previous lovers have taken this time or attention to it. They all knew she was strong, even if they didn’t know exactly how strong. Mon-El had called her sexy, beautiful, but had not touched her like this, with awe. The men she had been with would much rather avoid the fact that she was stronger than them all, by a lot. Sexy, beautiful, yes; strong, powerful, not so much. As if any such compliment might take away from their own strength.

The way Lena is gazing at her arms makes Kara want to bench press the moon. Lena’s soft prodding is taking quite the long route along her body, from her arms to her shoulders to her back and south...

South. That’s where this feeling is headed. Lena’s touch is sending a warm wave of something down towards her...

Kara coughs and trips on nothing, bracing herself on the mirror, which, thankfully doesn’t smash instantly, but does click and open to reveal a hidden closet in the closet. This closet lights up automatically too. It appears to be some sort of some small trophy room.

The moment, whatever that was, has successfully been extinguished.

Kara looks back at Lena quizzically. Lena blushes and hands Kara her shirt. “Kara, you have discovered my most embarrassing secret.” She enters the hidden room and turns, waiting for Kara to put her clothes back on.

“Lena I didn’t mean to open that door,” buttoning up her shirt, “As long as it’s not full of bodies I’m ok forgetting all about it.” She jumps into her pants in one swift motion. 

Lena chuckles, motioning her into the small room. “I may have to add another body after this heinous discovery.” Kara enters hesitantly. “No one that’s entered here has lived to tell about it.”

“Oh really?” She was right. The room was tiny, maybe three meters across and wide. Three walls with maybe ten shelves on each one. Full of trophies. She picks up a small one. “Your big secret is that you got a gold in a national fencing competition? Wait you got a gold? Nationally? Lena that’s amazing.” Kara quickly peruses the shelves. All gold. Not a silver or bronze in the mix. 

Lena’s green eyes are studying her hands. She looks up at Kara through her lashes. “Lillian and Lex tendered to display their achievements loudly and with so much fanfare. I did these things for me, they are mine. I know it’s weird, but...”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Lena.” She nods to towards the various awards. “Do you mind?” 

“No of course not. No one has ever been in here, though, I’m a little embarrassed. I hope I don’t seem like a complete narcissist.” 

Kara realizes that despite being almost nude in front of the other woman just seconds before, Lena is more naked in this moment than either of them have ever been with the other. The trust Lena must have for her...

There’s an entire wall just for chess trophies. A whole damn wall. A pang of guilt is quietly stabbing at her heart. Lena is showing her everything, and Kara is still hiding a huge piece of who she is. She should tell her, now. 

There’s no reason not to. At first, Kara reasoned with herself that it was out of a sense of safety. But Lena Luthor has a constant target on her forehead whether it be due to her riches or her family ties. In fact, Lena not knowing her secret identity probably puts her in more danger as she thinks Kara is defenceless. 

She mulls the idea around in her brain, picking up the nearest statue, idly, suddenly nervous. This is it. She’ll just turn around, take her glasses off and it will all be out. She will feel free, finally able to be completely herself with the other woman. She glances down at the gold trophy. Women’s fencing again, first place, world. World? Impressive.

So she turns slowly, placing the the award back on the shelf. “Lena I....” she eyes her friend but her hand stops before they reach the lead frames. Lena is staring at her so softly, so intensely. How will that change after her admission? Will her green eyes harden at the lie? Will she laugh and say she’s known the whole time? Will Kara disappear for her to be replaced by some untouchable hero on a pedestal? No one looks at her like Lena looks at her. No one else makes Kara feel more like a human, but that’s sure to change. Lena will look at her like she’s a god. Kara is still trying to get to a good place where she loves her Kara self again. She releases an anxious sigh. She can’t lose that. 

Lena senses her discomfort immediately. “Kara, what’s wrong?” She inquires, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

Say something honest. Don’t lie. She forces a smile. “I’m fine...you shouldn’t be embarrassed by this.” She lowers her voice, conspiratorially. “I have my own trophy closet.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, it’s not a closet though, it’s a book. I put all of the articles I’ve written in it. It’s pretty dorky.” What’s left out is that most of the articles are actually news stories of her Supergirl heroics. It’s buried under a pile of underwear in a drawer by her bed. She takes it out when she’s feeling shitty. 

Lena beams up at her. “Well I guess that makes us both dorks.” She pulls Kara back out into the main closet, closing the mirror door behind her. “Now come on, get tagging, we have dinner reservations in a few hours and I can’t leave this until after. I plan on drinking at least one bottle of wine tonight, I’ll be too sentimental to get rid of anything.” She heads back over to the rack she was perusing before Kara had interrupted her. 

Kara stands in front of the mirror again, chewing her bottom lip. The rack just behind her has like ten of what looks like the same dress but in different colours. She grabs one and hold it in front of her. Business casual? “Lena why do you have so many of the same dress?” 

Lena’s laughter rings out behind her. “The funny thing is, when you are as rich as I am, you often have designers bending over backwards to get you to wear their clothes. This one sent me a dozen. Sadly she got my measurements wrong. Luckily for you, they’ll probably fit like a glove. You would turn every head at Catco if you showed up in one of those. Not that you don’t already.”

Kara’s cheeks burn and she sees Lena in the mirror, just sorting through her clothes, that compliment falling out so naturally, she doesn’t even have to stop and look. Kara doesn’t normally wear dresses to work. She doesn’t normally wear dresses, period. And who knows, maybe someday soon she’ll be confident enough to wear this to work.

She hears a very soft “Kara?” from behind her, and meets Lena’s eyes in the mirror. “I’d like to see your book, someday, if that’s ok?”

“Of course!” She nods almost violently, “someday soon, I’ll show you everything!” Because someday soon she would. She would show her everything. Be completely honest. 

Lena is smiling at her. Lena’s smile always makes Kara smile, which makes Lena smile...

She looks back at herself in the mirror and can see her sad blue eyes don’t quite match the rest of her face. Any strange emotions ignited by Lena’s appreciative appraisal of her physique must be shoved deep down within herself. Those are off limits until she can be completely herself with the other woman. Exhaling deeply, she begins to unbutton her shirt, there’s no point in putting her clothes back on. There’s lots to try on and this is the most naked Kara can be in front of Lena. For now.


End file.
